Sega’s celebrated designer Yu Suzuki (Out Run, Shenmue, Virtua Fighter), former head of AM2 and now serving as a Special Advisor, will be receiving the Pioneer Award at the 2011 Game Developers Choice Awards. The Pioneer Award is award to “those individuals who developed a breakthrough technology, game concept, or gameplay design at a crucial juncture in video game history.”

If there was ever any doubt that Duke Nukem has balls of steel, then 2K Games and Gearbox has seen to it that any such reckless heresy is put to rest with the Duke Nukem Forever Balls of Steel edition. Hitting store shelves concurrently with the standard edition on May 3, the Balls of Steel edition will be available in limited quantities at GameStop and Amazon for the 360, PC, and PS3.

“… there awaits a varied and charming story-driven campaign as well as a core design that has been enriched by an expanded toolset that offers innumerable options for those who live to design and tinker and for those who enjoy reveling in the creativity of others.”